Automatically traveling floor dust collecting appliance, and running wheel, in particular for a floor dust collecting appliance

• US 9,346,325 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2013
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vorwerk & Company Interholding Gesellschaft Mit Beschrã¤Nkter Haftung (Vorwerk & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: Vorwerk & Company Interholding Gesellschaft Mit Beschrã¤Nkter Haftung (Vorwerk & Company KG)
• Inventors: Windorfer, Harald
• Primary Examiner(s): Kotter, Kip T
• Application Number:
  US14/016,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20140060716A1
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 152/209.12, 152/209.15, 152/209.16
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 11/11 in which the raised area of the pattern consists only of isolated elements, e.g. blocks B60C11/12, B60C11/13 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 11/1392 with chamfered block edges
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 7/24 characterised by means for securing tyres on rim or wheel body

Abstract

An automatically traveling floor dust collecting appliance has at least one running wheel having an axis of rotation, a hub, and a tire forming a tire contact area merging radially inwardly into two oppositely situated side faces. The tire, which includes elastic material, has profile blocks, each forming a part of the tire contact area and provided one after the other in the peripheral direction. A running wheel is also provided, in particular for a floor dust collecting appliance. The part of the tire contact area formed by a profile block has a profile which in its cross-section slopes downwardly toward the center. This profile block at the same time forms a part of an associated side face. The profile block, at this transition, radially and in the direction of the axis of rotation, forms a farthest protruding portion of the tire contact area of the tire.

Claims

1. An automatically traveling floor dust collecting appliance comprising:

at least one running wheel comprising an axis of rotation, a hub, and a tire forming a tire contact area merging radially inwardly into oppositely situated first and second side faces forming a conical opening contour of the tire in an outward direction, wherein the tire comprises an elastic material and profile blocks provided one after the other in a peripheral direction and associated with the first and second side faces respectively, wherein each of the profile blocks forms a respective tire contact area part of the tire contact area having a respective profile sloping downwardly in cross-section toward a center of the tire and forms a respective side face part of the side face associated with the profile block, wherein the profile block, at a first transition between the tire contact area part and the side face part, radially and in a direction of the axis of rotation, forms a farthest protruding portion of the tire contact area of the tire, wherein the profile block merges into a step surface, and wherein the step surface is lowered with respect to the tire contact area for one half to three times of an elevation of the profile starting from the center up to a second transition into the side face associated with the profile block.

2. The floor dust collecting appliance according to claim 1, wherein the center of the tire is in the direction of the axis of rotation and the profile blocks are oppositely situated relative to the center of the tire.

3. The floor dust collecting appliance according to claim 1, wherein each profile block in its cross-section extends from the side face associated with the profile block to the center, or wherein each profile block has a rectangular layout in top view, or wherein the respective side face associated with each profile block extends substantially linearly in cross-section.

4. The floor dust collecting appliance according to claim 1, wherein each profile block has an extent portion, in the direction of the axis of rotation and based on a cross-section, having a clearance from an associated shoulder portion of the hub.

5. The floor dust collecting appliance according to claim 4, wherein the elasticity of the material is selected in such a way that in a load state, when during customary travel of the appliance a portion of the tire contact area formed by the profile block rests on a floor, the extent portion is provided with support by the shoulder portion.

6. The floor dust collecting appliance according to claim 1, wherein an extent of the tire in the direction of the axis of rotation in a region of the profile blocks is determined by twice an extent of two of the profile blocks provided one after the other in a peripheral direction and associated with the first and second side respectively.

7. The floor dust collecting appliance according to claim 1, wherein the tire has a radially inwardly protruding mounting formation on a hub side.

8. The floor dust collecting appliance according to claim 7, wherein the profile block has an extent portion, in the direction of the axis of rotation and based on a cross-section, having a clearance from an associated shoulder portion of the hub and wherein the mounting formation extends in a radially inwardly protruding manner with respect to the extent portion.

9. The floor dust collecting appliance according to claim 1, wherein a mounting receptacle is formed on the hub, and is determined by a groove formed by two circumferential projections separated by a distance in the direction of the axis of rotation.

10. The running wheel for the floor dust collecting appliance according to claim 1.